Linking the numerous characterizations of policing Power and - - PDF document

• Dr. Jack R. Greene

Professor School of Criminology and Criminal Justice Northeastern University Boston Revised for the Tides and Currents in Police Theories Conference Ghent, BE December 12-13, 2012

Linking the numerous characterizations

• f policing

Power and politics Internationalism and globalization Managerialism and efficiency Risk Prediction and evidence Community sensitivity Drama of control Governance and securitization State use of force Government as philosopher, friend and guide

Limits of Current Policing Characterizations

Tend to be one-dimensional – often focused on one set of elements affecting policing versus others

The problem of what to leave in and what to leave out

May over-simplify complicated relationships

This is the bane of all models- to capture the study

topic they must simplify Often miss the interconnections between macro-

meso-micro level interactions and influences

Why a Metaphor?

Metaphors are pervasive in language, thought and action Our conceptual system is fundamentally metaphorical Understanding and experiencing one thing in terms

• f another – how metaphors shape beliefs, thinking

and actions By abstracting one thing from another the metaphor also provides the opportunity to better understand complexity

Pros and Cons of Metaphors

Positive: “An idea is a feat of association, and the height

• f it is a good metaphor.” ― Robert Frost

Negative: “Writers who have nothing to say always strain for metaphors to say it in.” - Florence King Ambiguous: “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.” ― Sigmund Freud

The Sea as a Metaphor for Policing

The Sea

Profound power Ubiquity (2/3’s of Earth) Connecting isolated

parts

Constant state of flux Many things shape ebb

and flow

Romanticized notions Used for different

reasons The Police

Extreme State power Policing is ubiquitous Policing connects social

control elements

Policing in flux at the

surface

Many things shape

policing

Romanticized notions Used for different

reasons and motivations

The Dynamics of the Sea

Tides – influenced by macro-level forces of celestial bodies and Earth’s rotation Currents – movements of the sea that convey waters around the Earth

Surface Deep Create the Earth’s conveyor belt

Upwelling and downwelling –movement of nutrients from the depths to the surface and returning to the depth Eddies and Whirlpools- counter-cyclical movements of parts of the sea Riptides – currents that pose danger to those in the water close to shore

Tides

Represent the linkage of Earth to other celestial bodies Tides are created by the gravitational pulls of the Moon and Sun, as well as the rotation of the Earth There are two tides per 24 hour cycle, the sub-lunar (when close to the Moon), and the antipodal (when close to the Sun) While tides are patterned and predictable, they are more treacherous near shorelines Tides at once are shaped by external forces and themselves shape the shorelines of the Earth

Surface Currents in the Sea

At the surface currents are driven by Earth’s rotation and the prevailing winds In turn the prevailing winds are shaped by the Sun (temperature) and Earth’s rotation Surface currents play an important role in moving heat around the globe, from the equator to the poles Surface currents show considerable variation across the world, and can occupy vast expanses of the sea They flow clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere

Surface Sea Currents

Deep Sea Currents

Deep currents are driven by the density of sea waters, effected by salinity and temperature Dense sea currents can run contrary to surface currents as they are not influenced by prevailing winds Nonetheless, these currents move water around the world in what has been called the conveyor belt of the sea – called thermohaline circulation

Deep Sea Currents

The Global Conveyor Belt Upwelling

Occurs through the upward movement of waters from the depths to the surface Is created when the wind-generated Ekman transport, flowing at 90 degrees to the ocean surface (northern and southern direction), causes surface waters to diverge, making room for nutrient rich waters at the sea’s depths to rise to the surface and replenish surface waters It is most common along the Equator and near costal regions having eastern boundary currents When waters are driven by the winds at the Equator or near shorelines the opening in the waters affords waters from the depths to flow to the surface and be carried toward the poles, where it eventually cools

Downwelling

Occurs when surface waters converge forcing surface waters downward Downwelling regions are typically nutrient depleted, as surface waters are driven to depths were they are replenished by nutrients Downwelling also occurs adjacent to eastern costal regions were winds drive costal waters near shore downward Waters at depths gather nutrients and begin the cycle

• f upwelling again

Eddies

Meso-level and countervailing forces that are countercyclical motion to dominant currents Eddies “spin off” from larger currents, and in this sense get their energy from currents Eddies can occupy large expanses of the ocean and can last for several months The are often considered the sea’s weather, developing on cold or warm water flows They return to the dominant current flows eventually

Ocean Eddies Whirlpools

Masses of water that spin in a countercyclical motion, and sometimes with great force They occur in the rise and fall of tides, opposing currents and obstructions in the sea Actions of the winds can also shape whirlpools Most whirlpools are small and insignificant Maelstroms are whirlpools with considerable downward force (called vortex)

Salstraumen Maelstrom- Norway

Riptides or Rip Currents

Contrary to dominant tides and conditioned by shorelines and prevailing winds As the sea comes to shore water is forced sideways, and in returning to the sea can create powerful currents moving away from the shoreline Riptides represent the contrariness of the sea It’s best not to swim against the riptide; rather parallel to it until the swimmer escapes the pull of the tide.

Rip Tides (Currents) The Tides of Policing

Broad social histories and values Macro economic, social and political conditions Political governance structures Institutional structures and their acceptance Globalization and internationalization Migrations and population shifts

The Currents of Policing

Shifts in world and local politics Increased uncertainty in economic, political and social conditions Heightened awareness of crime and other social problems, typically through the media Rise in nationalism or nativism Tensions between majority and minority perspectives and communities

Upwelling

Upwelling appears in the face of public fear or discomfort with a social, economic

• r political situation

Has resulted in fear projected on out groups,

immigrants, racial, religious or cultural minorities, youth

Stems from moral panics, fueled by popular culture and

the media

Most often result in some form of repressive action

taken, including those of the police

Downwelling

Downwelling occurs through appeasement, redirection or reconditioning of public fear

This results in programs that seek short-term results Reassurance and zero tolerance programs anchor the

spectrum of police responses

Can lead to governance through fear and the

manipulation of public perceptions by the government and the media

Often results in a cycle of fear-appeasement-calm-fear

Police Eddies and Whirlpools

Reforms of the police aimed at greater transparency Efforts to improve governance and oversight of the police Programs that focus on engagement and greater interaction with the community – “sloganism” and “window-dressing” programs Improved police analytics More sensitive police responses

Riptides to Police Legitimacy

Loss of confidence in the public Fear of public dislike for the police Excessive use of force Over and under policing Political policing Public concerns with procedural justice Over reach of police incursions into private life Loss of respect for the rule of law and human rights

Thank you, Merci, Dank u wel

• Dr. Jack R. Greene

Professor School of Criminology and Criminal Justice Northeastern University Boston, USA j.greene@neu.edu